Before the advent of airbag systems, the horn switch was typically mounted on the hub of the steering wheel. The mounting or installation of the horn switch was straightforward and vehicle operator grew accustomed to the location of the horn switch.
With the advent of airbag systems, the use of a hub mounted horn switch has become cumbersome. The difficulty in mounting the horn switch stems from the insertion of an airbag module beneath the cover of the steering wheel hub as well as the conversion of the cover of the steering wheel hub into a deployment door.
To overcome the expense and challenge of mounting a horn switch on the center of the steering wheel, the industry has developed different locations for mounting the horn switch along with different operating mechanisms of the horn switch. One approach has been to have the whole airbag module move to close a switch. This approach has led to very complex steering wheel/airbag design and manufacturing. Another approach to the problem is the utilization of membrane switches that reduce the problems associated with moving the whole airbag module to close a switch; however, these switches have temperature and humidity limitations. Another approach is the relocation of the horn switch to the spokes of the steering wheel. The downside of this approach is that this placement provides a source of inconvenience for the vehicle operator.